A Magical Message from the Raven and an Offer from Me

Do you ever sit outside in the middle of a thunderstorm and feel the absolute magic of the world crackling through the air? I just did. We had a cloudburst here in Colorado and I absolutely reveled in the thunder, lightning, rain, and wind. And then, at the very end of the storm, the Magic happened ...

... a Raven, my animal totem, swooped in and squawked a magical message for me to share with you!

The Magical Messenger
The Raven is one of the keepers of magic in this world, and it had a message for me and you today. It told me that I must share as much magic as I can with as many people as want it.

Get Magic in Your Mailbox Here

As you may know, at the Esoteric School we put out a twice monthly ezine and a twice weekly blog, all filled with magical tips and techniques on how you can use magic to change, improve, transform, and enlighten your life.

Now the Raven demands that I share even more with you ...

Magic in Your Mailbox: A Sneak Peek at Basic Magic
We have a comprehensive 32-week Basic Magic course coming up in September. Prior to the start of this class, we give all the students pre-class magical exercises to prepare them for this rigorous course. These exercises are given exclusively to students who have already signed up and paid for class.

Now, as the Raven has asked, I am giving them to you. I will email these 21 exercises (one per day) to all those who ask. Not only will these exercises give you a sneak peek at what goes on in the Basic Magic course, but they will lay the foundation for you to experience life in a new magical and mystical way.

Get Magic in Your Mailbox Here

Your Questions About Magic Answered
What's more, during these 21 days I will personally answer any serious questions you have about these exercises and the magic contained in them (only fully formulated questions, please!). That's not something I do very often, but for 21 days I am happy to do so. The only caveat is that I will publish your questions and my answers to the entire group of people who want to take part in this magical experience. That way I everyone gets to learn, and we all advance as a group.

Got It? Good! Here's How to Sign Up
If you're ready to take part in this magical mystical experience, to play with some fun magic, and to get your sneak peek at Basic Magic, sign up for this 21 day "Magic in Your Mailbox" course by clicking the link below. But sign up soon because the first exercise goes out on Tuesday, August 11, and the signup offer expires on Friday, August 14!

Magic in Your Mailbox

In Magic,
RavenWindStar (a.k.a. Alan Joel)

Enchantment in Zion

Greetings from Enchanting Zion National Park!

I'm taking a short break from blogging to be with family and re-inspire myself in Zion. The nature spirits are strong here, as is the Earth energy. Rest assured, the blog will resume in early August. In the meantime, I'll be enjoying communing with nature, sky beings, earth beings, and the rest of the hierarchy. I'll also be catching up with much of the email that has come in the last few weeks that I have not had time to answer or blog about. See you in August!

Why Storm Spirits Dislike People

I'm sitting here enjoying an absolutely lovely flash-bang thunderstorm, and remembering a long-ago conversation I had with a storm spirit. Back in the early days of my studies in magic and shamanism, I was given the assignment to go out and communicate with a nature spirit, be it a spirit of tree, rock, or sky.

Being naturally of an excitable temperament myself (being a triple Fire sign, astrologically), I chose to communicate with a storm spirit. I waited until a particularly heavy storm hit our area, then went out to have my first person-to-storm chat. The results were startling.

The long and short of the conversation was that storm spirits don't much like people, and with good reason. During my chat with the storm spirit, I raised the issue that the spirit seemed quite angry and aggressive. The storm spirit replied that it was a bit angry, especially with people, because most people didn't like storms and didn't want them around.

I replied that this wasn't entirely illogical, since storms could be inconvenient, causing a lot of destruction and wet. The storm spirit huffed about that, I can tell you! He said that storms were a necessary part of the ecosystem, and that people didn't properly appreciate their role. Storms cleanse the air and the land, and distribute water where it is needed. He added that it took a lot of force to do all of this cleansing and moving of water. He, like most storm spirits, was fast-moving and very direct. He didn't have a lot of time to chat.

The biggest reason he disliked people, he said, was because most people talked about him but not to him. He said many people were quite negative about storms, in general, and cursed them. Unlike the people of ancient tribes, who properly appreciated the role storm spirits played in the ecosystem, modern people only see the inconvenience of storms.

The storm spirit and I ended the conversation on good terms (he was in a hurry to move on). I discovered a new appreciation for storms and the spirits who create them. I've since had several more conversations with storm spirits, some of which were even in the process of forming tornados. In my experience, storm spirits start out angry. They like to clobber the landscape and be aggressive, but once you get them talking they tend to lighten up. And you have to talk fast, because storm spirits don't have a lot of patience for idle chatter. They are all about action.

If you want to deepen your connection with the world of spirits, storm spirits can be interesting conversational partners, when you can make yourself heard. If you do decide to try communicating with storm spirits, be sure to hail them out loud and welcome them. Since these spirits are used to be cursed rather than welcomed, don't be surprised if your first greeting is met with a salvo of wind and rain. Just hang in there and keep shouting out your greeting until the spirit hears you. The conversation is sure to be a revelation!

Learn More About Spirits, Magic, and Shamanism
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How to Cast Stronger Magic Spells -- Part III

In my previous two articles in this series, I highlighted the importance of writing clear Directors and Limiters for your spell and choosing the right symbols for your spell. Paying attention to both of these will help you cast stronger magic spells. In this article, the third in the series, I cover the basics of cleansing yourself, your tools, and your space when it comes down to casting your spell.

The Importance of Magical Cleansing
Casting a well-written spell in an area filled with junky energy is like dining on a fine meal in the middle of a dog pound. It's totally incongruous and starts the spell off on the wrong foot. Don't do this!

Magical cleansing is important for every aspect of your spell, including yourself, your tools, and your space. Most magical practitioners develop, over time, some kind of cleansing ritual that helps them prepare to launch a spell. The bigger the spell (or the more you want the spell to accomplish) the more important it is to do a cleansing ritual.

Cleansing Yourself Magically
As a being, you are a Spirit with a body and a mind. Before launching a spell it is important that you cleanse all of these three parts of yourself. Personal cleansing is, well, a very personal matter, and you should give some thought to how you want to do this.

Your personal cleansing might include a meditation to settle the mind, an invocation to your personal guides and totems to support your Spirit, and a lovely scented bath to cleanse your body. Some people also like to cleanse themselves with the smoke of burning sage and pine resin, plus consecrated water. Other people like to use essential oils and candles. Once you have cleansed yourself, consider clothing yourself in special ritual garb for launching your spell. Choosing clothing in colors relevant to the purpose of your spell always helps. For instance, if you want a lot of power, choose a Fire color, like sun yellow or bright red.

Cleansing Your Tools Magically
To cast a strong magic spells, your magic tools need to be clean of junky energies. Consider what tools you will need to launch your spell. Will you need a scrying bowl, an Athame, a Wand, a firebowl, or a crystal? Then consider how you will cleanse your tools. For instance, some magicians store their crystals in pewter boxes to keep them clean. Others dunk their crystals in consecrated water or bury them in a garden for a moon cycle to cleanse them. If you are going to use a Wand, decide whether you need to cleanse it by pulling it through the smoke of burning pine resin and sage. However you cleanse your magical tools, make sure they are clean and laid out before casting your spell.

Cleansing Your Space Magically
Creating sacred space is one of the most important factors in casting a strong spell. If you are going to be using one room in your house to launch your spell, such as your altar-room, be sure to four-element cleanse it before launching your spell. This includes smoking it with burning pine resin and sage, as well as flicking consecrated water on the walls. In addition, some practitioners like to cleanse the space energetically with their athame, sweeping the area clean of any junky psychic residue.

As with all magical acts, take your time and be sure to cleanse yourself, your tools, and your space thoroughly and carefully before launching your spell. A spell cast in a clean environment will encounter far less resistance and produce better results.

Want to Know More About Magical Cleansings and Tools?
Learning how to use, cleanse, and maintain magical tools like the Wand, Athame, Chalice, Place, and Firebowl are important to proper spell work. If you want to learn more about these tools and how to use them, check out our ebooks on the subject.

Magical Tool Ebooks from the Esoteric School

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How to Cast Stronger Magic Spells - Part II

This is the second in an article series on how to cast stronger magic spells. In Part I of this article series I outlined three principles to help magical practitioners clarify what they want their spells to do and not do, resulting in a stronger spell. In this article, I focus on the importance of gathering the appropriate symbols for the spell.

Choosing the Right Symbols for Your Magic Spell
One of the keys to casting stronger magic spells is choosing and using appropriate symbols. In spell work, symbols are not just for decorative purposes. Symbols are actually like doorways, and they access the power of the thing they represent.

For instance, we often use the symbols for the four elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth in our spell work. Take the Air symbols. Air can be symbolized as clouds, gusts of wind, or a Wand, which is the magical tool for the element Air. The clouds or gusts of wind symbolize Air on the mundane or ordinary level, while the Wand symbolizes Air on the spiritual level. On the ordinary level, the element Air is associated with thinking and communication. On the spiritual level, Air is linked with enlightenment and spiritual understanding. If I want my spell to increase communication between distant family members, I would use the cloud symbol, since the spell is for ordinary world-level communication. If my spell is for increasing opening up my spiritual horizons, I would use the Wand symbol.

And how would I use these magic symbols? That depends on what kind of spell I am casting. For instance, if I am casting a single candle spell, I would carve the symbol on the candle I will use to launch the spell.

Gathering the Symbols for Your Spell
Since symbols access the things they represent, they are really doorways to great power. Knowing this, it becomes obvious that choosing the right symbols for your magic spell has a lot to do with the power of your spell.

A magician preparing a spell is a lot like a mother preparing for the arrival of her baby. Your spell is your baby. When you start gathering the symbols, litanies, and other tools for your spell, it's similar to a mother preparing the nursery for her baby. If you take the same amount of care preparing your spell as a mother does preparing for the arrival of her baby, you will cast a much stronger magic spell. Plus, you'll enjoy the process more!

If you have a long-term spell, consider using a talisman or touchstone as a symbol for your spell. Check out the wide variety of animal, fairy, angel, and tribal symbols in the online store to use as talismans and amulets.

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Photo credit: Fairy Child ~ Amy Brown Inspiration ~ Explore

How to Cast Stronger Magic Spells - Part I

I get asked all the time by magical practitioners how they can cast stronger magic spells. Is there a secret ingredient that makes one spell stronger than another? Is there some secret to choosing the right spell for the right occasion? Or is it something else altogether?

The question of casting stronger spells can be a tough one to answer because, like other disciplines in life, casting spells is a cross between science and art. There isn't one single answer that is going to make the difference for every magician or every spell. But if you want to cast stronger spells, what you can do is walk through every step of the process and see how you can improve each step. This article covers the first step in casting a spell: defining what you want. We also call this step Directors and Limiters.

What Do You Want Your Spell to Do?
I know that there are a lot of magical practitioners out there who use pre-written spells authored by someone else. This is perfectly acceptable, especially if the spell doesn't have a huge scope. For instance, we frequently teach people how to use the Sun Candle for basic mood-lifting spells or how to use the Bathtub Litany for reducing stress. Using pre-written spells for this purpose is convenient and effective.

But if you want a spell to do something more than relieve stress or fluff your aura, you might want to create one from scratch. Launching a spell that you've created yourself, for your own purposes, is kind of like the difference between eating homemade biscuits and store-bought biscuits. There's a world of difference in the quality.

If you choose to create your own spell, then the first step is to define what you want your spell to do (and not do). These are the Directors and Limiters for your spell. If you want to cast stronger magic spells, then it's important to be very clear when you write your Directors and Limiters.

Be Clear About Your Directors and Limiters
How can you be clear in writing your Directors and Limiters for your spell? I've come to rely on a few principles when I write mine:

1. Take Your Time
Don't get in a hurry when you write your Directors and Limiters. According to the magic principles I was taught by Reverend George Dew, when it comes to doing magic, "Take your time, think it through, and do it right." Your Directors and Limiters form the foundation of your spell. Get those wrong and the whole spell will go awry. A lot of people launch spells because they "need" something to happen right away, which causes them to hurry when creating their spell. Don't do that. Resist the temptation.

2. Create Freely
If you're going to go to the trouble to write a spell and launch it, make sure your spell has a wide scope. It can take a lot of work to launch a homemade spell, so make sure your spell is really going to do something for you. When I consider what I want my spell to do, I sometimes take flights of fancy. I ask myself, "If time and money were no object, what would I really want?" This question unfetters my mind and allows me to think big. I may later have to downsize some of these flights of fancy so as not to overburden my spell, but starting with a strong vision is crucial. After all, if your spell isn't big enough to excite you, why bother?

3. Consider Worst-Case Scenarios
As always, when writing spells you need Directors (what you want your spell to do) as well as Limiters (what you don't want your spell to do). When it comes to writing Limiters, consider the worst-case scenarios and limit them with your Limiters. For instance, you don't want your spell to cause anyone to die. You probably don't want the spell to result in loss of property or income for yourself or your family or your dog, etc. You don't want your spell to cause you do to anything illegal. Be sure to write your Limiters to include these scenarios. One magical practitioner wrote a "get a job" spell and forgot to exclude jobs that required illegal activity. The spell brought her the most fantastic job with great pay and fabulous working hours. The only catch was that she ended up working for the mob. Bummer!

Clarity Leads to Stronger Spells
I hope these principles help you reach clarity as you write your Directors and Limiters for your spell. Taking your time in this step can mean the difference between a splendid outcome and a total flop. Casting stronger spells is all about being more methodical, consistent, and careful in your approach to creating spells. Being clear in defining the do's and don'ts for your spell is a great place to start.

Did You Know?
Did you know that magic spells actually begin to work the moment you begin creating Directors and Limiters? Spells are nothing more than formalized intentions, and writing Directors and Limiters is nothing more than setting your intentions on paper. Want to know more? Learn all about spells -- designing them, writing them, casting them -- and much more in our comprehensive Basic Magic Course.

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Photo credit: Kites in a Storm

Why Magic Protection Symbols are More Important Than Ever

Have we reached the "End Times"? Are we approaching them? Are we in danger of a pole shift or some other form of catastrophe?

No, no, and no. I get asked these questions all the time by people who are concerned with the approaching "deadline" of 2012, when the Mayan calendar supposedly "ends." In truth, according Tony Shearer, who dedicated his life to studying the Mayan calendar, the calendar doesn't end in 2012, but instead simply starts over.

There are plenty of books and articles on the Mayan calendar, so I won't go into a detailed explanation of this predictive tool, but I will say that each time the calendar prepares to shift into a new cycle, our world does experience major energetic shifts.

What Energetic Changes Are Happening Now?
One major energetic shift I notice occurring with this change of cycle, which will happen around 2012, is that energy moves much more quickly than it has in the past. Specifically, the energy of our thoughts and feelings are manifesting much more quickly into physical events and occurrences. For instance, a negative thought like "I hope I don't lose my job!" is translating much more quickly into a lost job than it did about a decade ago. At the same time, a positive thought such as "I really feel soul mate is on her way to me" now manifests as a meeting between soul mates very quickly. It's a fast-changing world that is much more reactive to our thoughts and feelings than ever before. This is both good and bad--the usual double-edged sword.

Another major energetic change has to do with the Law of Contagion. The Law of Contagion deals with how easily we are affected by other people's thoughts and feelings. In the past, when energy moved much slower, it was easier to maintain our own sacred space, and not be affected by other people's energy. These days, not only does energy move faster, but the whole stream of energy pulsing around the globe is much larger. This means that not only are we more affected by the energy of another person, but we are also much more affected by global energy.

Every nation in the world is currently being affected by the economic downturn, and this is creating a large stream of energy filled with doubt, fear, and paralysis. You may have noticed that it is more difficult for you to be positive and proactive in your life. You may feel it is more difficult to take action or make choices. This feeling of oppression doesn't mean you are becoming a lazy slob or that you are losing your motivation. You may simply be affected the current global energy.

You may have also discovered that you are easily affected by the energy of another person. For instance, suppose you talk on the phone who is feeling down in the dumps. Do you notice that you also feel down in the dumps, or anxious about your own situation, after getting off the phone with that person? That's the Law of Contagion at work. You are simply more easily affected by any energy you come in contact with.

What to Do About the Law of Contagion
So what can you do about the Law of Contagion? How to preserve your sacred space? From a magic point of view, I would suggest cleansing your space (your home, office, car) with sage and pine resin, or other cleansing herbs. That's a good start.

Next, look around your environment and decide whether protection symbols would be useful, both to wear on your person or to put up around your environment. For instance, I recently re-shielded our property and added some protection symbols, like the Eye of Horus and pantacles. Other people have reported useful shielding results by wearing the psychic shield amulet, which is in the design of the seven-pointed faery star. Finally, others like introducing the energy of animal totems to gain the protection of Wolf, Buffalo, and so on.

Finally, on a mundane level, you may want to become far choosier about the people you contact. In a wonderful mixing of technology and magic, the prudent use of caller-ID to help you decide whether to pick up the phone can mean the difference between feeling down in the dumps and accessing a more positive flow of energy. In this day and age, you have the very real possibility of manifesting what you want in life faster than ever, but only if you take the time to create true sacred space around yourself. Cleanse your space, protect it, and choose your contact with other people in the world carefully!

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Photo credit: Mayan Sun Calendar

Which Magic Rituals Should You Do Now?

It's amazing how, during this economic downturn, people are suddenly confused about what kind of magic spells and rituals they should do now. Sure, more people are unemployed, the economy is pretty rocky, and times seem uncertain, but in actuality nothing has changed.

Here's the deal: we are all students in the Earth school and there are a limited number of problems we need to learn to solve while we're in school. The basic lessons are health; wealth and career; and relationships and sex. Sound familiar? Just about everything else can be put under these basic categories. And, here's the real kicker: we get happy and graduate when we solve these problems.

Your Big Life Lesson
Each person usually has one main lesson to learn in Earth school. If you look back on your life, you can probably easily figure out which lesson you signed up for. You can look at your friends, and do the same. For instance, you probably have one friend who has never had relationship issues but can't seem to get healthy. Then there is your friend who has money problems like crazy, but is as healthy as a horse, which is good because he can't afford to go to the doctor.

No matter which life lesson you have, chances are that the world economic situation hasn't really changed it, right? Maybe the lesson or "problem" has intensified, but it's still the same old problem. In the worst-case scenario, you might still have your major life lesson, but now you have a minor in some other life lesson, too. If health has been your main lesson, maybe the economic crunch has now made it more difficult for you to get the healing you need. But the bottom line is that health is still the main issue.

In short, nothing has really changed.

Magic and Your Big Life Lesson
So what kind of magic rituals or spells should you do now to help you learn about your life lesson? Your first magical act should be to meditate on the fact that, magically, size doesn't really matter when it comes to problems, or their solutions. As our teacher Abraham-Hicks is fond of saying, "It's just as easy to manifest a button as a castle." By the token, it is just as easy (or difficult) to magically solve the problem of unemployment today as it was when the economy was going strong. Your big life lesson is the same as it always has been. So, if you are feeling depressed, fearful, or pitiful, stop it. Get off the pity pot. Nothing, regardless of the gloom-and-doom of predictions of economists, is any worse than before.

The Sun Candle: A Magic Ritual for Today
Now that you've discovered that you are no worse than before, it's time to start using a magic ritual that will help you stay positive, and make forward progress toward learning your big life lesson.

One of the simplest magic rituals you can do to help you stay positive is to use the Sun Candle. Burning the Sun Candle with the appropriate litany on a daily basis will not only nourish your spirit, but give you tangible magical act to do, so you feel like you "doing something" about your situation.

Here's how you use the Sun Candle.

You will need a pure yellow candle (a bright yellow that is not too orange) and wooden or paper matches. You can find pure yellow candles at most grocery stores in the section with the religious candles (in glass containers).

You will also need to know which direction is South. To create sacred space with the Sun Candle, you will need to "charge" it, or program it to do so. Here's how:

• Stand or sit in the South facing North with the Sun Candle in front of you
• Light the candle using wooden or paper matches (do NOT use a lighter)
• Wait until the candle flame is steady and tall
• Hold your hands up to and around the flame, focusing your attention on the candle and flame.
• Say the charge verse below in a voice of command (a strong, powerful voice)

Child of Wonder,
Child of Flame,
Nourish My Spirit,
And Protect My Aim!

If there are other people in the room with you, you can change the "My" to "Our" and the word "Spirit" to "Spirits." Leave the candle burning in the room for at least 30 minutes (be sure the candle is on a protected surface such as a plate and is not a fire hazard).

At the end of 30 minutes or when you feel ready, blow out the flame (don't snuff it). Spend a moment or two in the area to see if you can detect a difference in the level and quality of energy. The area should feel lighter, more harmonious and/or more peaceful to you.

Have fun using this daily magic ritual to regain balance!

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Photo credit: Scent of a Candle Sunflower

The Tower Card in Tarot Readings - What It Means

Recently I did a Tarot reading for a client who has been having a lot of trouble with accidents, like fender benders and such. This client was so banged-up and bruised from all of his recent misfortunes that he asked for a reading to find out what was going on.

Not surprisingly, in both the present-time and progressed Tarot readings for this client, the Tower card showed up, both times upright. A lot of practitioners of magic shudder when they see the Tower card because they think it automatically means chaos. It does, sort of, but it means something more specific than that.

The Tower card talks about complete material disorganization or chaos, caused by spiritual forces beyond one's control. The world is obviously experiencing a lot of chaos and change right now, as we approach the end of a cycle on the Mayan calendar and prepare to enter the next. The Tower card talks about chaos coming into people's life from the outer world. As you can see on the card itself, the lightning comes into the picture from the outside world.

The Tower Card Upright in a Tarot Reading
These days, when the Tower card appears upright in a reading, it means that a big change is coming that you should be prepared for. Sometimes this means a natural disaster, and sometimes death, but in most cases it is just a warning to be prepared for a major change in your environment.

In the case of my client for whom I was doing the Tarot reading, the Tower card indicated that he wasn't being aware of his surroundings. He needs to be more conscious of the Law of Accident at work around him. The Law of Accident says that if we don't have a strong intention and focus, then we fall prey to "accidental and coincidental" occurrences, like fender-benders. The Law of Accident is more at work during these times of extreme change than at other times. Luckily, nothing serious had happened to him, and he is going use some daily rituals to focus his intent and be more aware of his surroundings.

The Tower Card Reversed in a Tarot Reading
If the Tower appears as a reversed card in a Tarot reading, then the implications are different. If it's reversed, then you need to start looking at whether you have broken any Rules of the Road (the laws that govern magical practice) or whether there is something karmic going on. Maybe you've gotten crosswise with a deity.

If you see a reversed Tower card, do some exploration, through divination or possibly a blow-up Tarot reading, to find out what the situation is about. During this time of world upheaval, it's important to correct situations like this as quickly as possible. Luckily, the world is also much more plastic or flexible right now, so correcting situations may be easier than you think.

A Few Additional Notes About the Tower Card
The severity of the change or chaos indicated by the Tower isn't necessarily related to whether the Tower card is upright or reversed. Whether the card is upright or reversed merely tells you what kind of change you are dealing with. Remember that that Tower card represents changes appearing in the outer world, and often reflects deity-level changes. This card has shown up a lot in recent years, tying in with world and galactic changes. Changes indicated by the Tower card can be violent or drastic, and are simply a warning for us to be prepared. The Tower card isn't bad, it's just a warning to be aware.

Want to Learn More About the Tarot?
The Tarot is an infinitely deep study of magic. The Tarot can be used for divination, spells, spell take-downs, and many other forms of magic. If you would like to learn more about how to use the Tarot, consider joining our upcoming Basic Magic class or learning with our home-study Tarot Course.

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True Magical Creation - Leap Before You Look

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary rule - the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans; that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now." -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Goethe's quote above really sums up the difference between true magical creation, and false creation. You see, in this society, we've got a major part of the creation sequence backwards -- we are all afraid to commit to creating anything, and we base commitment on the wrong things.

Don't Be Afraid to Commit
How many times have you come upon an opportunity, but been afraid to commit because you didn't have "all the facts"? Well, guess what? By the time you gathered all the facts, the opportunity has either disappeared or you no longer felt like jumping in with both feet. In a society based around "insurance," we are taught to be cautious, to do good research and to gather all the facts. That's all well and good, but it means that we never create anything real -- and we never get to experience the magic in life.

In the creation sequence that is at the heart of magic (after all, what is a spell but a program to create something you want?), commitment comes from your desire, not from an assessment of the facts. Why? Because in this Universe the facts are quite irrelevant. In this Universe, literally anything and everything you want is possible. If you want something, the Universe will bring it to you. According to Emmett Fox, the Universe is "plastic" or bendable to our wishes. So the "facts" are irrelevant. If you want it, the Universe will give it to you.

For Real Magic, Leap Before You Look
So in the true creation sequence, the steps are "leap before you look." Looking doesn't do anything except slow you down, create doubt and hinder your desire. The so-called facts are only the result of other people's creations. They are irrelevant to your own creation. True creation is the result of feeling a rush of desire and saying "yes" to that desire -- regardless of what society or the facts tell you about the situation. True magical creation is uninhibited, free-flowing, wondrous desire.

So what happens when you stumble on an opportunity that you really want to say "yes" to but lack the resources to jump in? Practice saying "yes" to that opportunity internally. Whether you follow up on that opportunity or not, it's the "yes" part that matter. Leaping before you look takes practice, and saying "yes" allows you to flex that part of your psyche that's been dormant for so long.

The goal is to practice letting that desire flow. If you keep practicing flow, one day a huge desire will come up and grab your attention and you'll literally leap before you look -- and you'll create in a most spontaneous and unbelievable way. Have a wondrous time experimenting with this!

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Photo credit: Leap of Faith

Ask Alan: Why Use Magical Tools?

We just got an email that raises an interesting question. The author of the email says, "We don't need any sticks or wands or anything. We have the powers in are hands just as well in are head."

This raises an interesting question:

Why use magical tools?

This is a great question, and the author of the email is right. Everyone possesses and can channel magical energy using their hands, directing the energy with their intention (head). In fact, most magicians learn to handle the four elemental energies-Air, Fire, Water, and Earth-bare-handed, without the benefit of tools. It is best when you are first starting out in magic to handle these energies directly, with your hands, and throughout your body. We call this hand magic, or the direct handling of elements.

Magical Tools Give You More Reach
However, as you advance your skills, the use of magical tools is important. Magical tools extend our "reach," since they can handle more energies than we can handle with our hands. This greater level of energy means that we can reach further with the elemental energies to accomplish more.

For instance, you can easily to put up a personal magical shield around your body using your hands. It is simple to summon and direct enough energy through your hands. However, if you wanted to shield a house or a large property, you can do it much more easily with a tool, like a Wand. With the use of a properly made and keyed Wand, you can easily shield a property that includes many acres. It's possible to do the same using just your hands, but the level of force is much greater. The Wand saves you quite a bit of exertion.

Each of the four magical elements has its own corresponding tool, as follows:

Air element = Wand
Fire element = Athame
Water element = Chalice
Earth element = Plate

By using magical tools, experienced practitioners can affect situations on many levels, ranging from the personal level to the global level.

Learn more about Tools.

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Photo credit: 4C7H0892

How Do You Know if Your Magical Healing Worked?

Magical healing is one area of magic and shamanic practice that can be truly tricky. Suppose you perform a magical healing ritual on someone or do a remote healing. The person gets better and you feel great.

But then the doubt creeps in. You begin wondering whether you were responsible for the healing or if the person was going to get better anyway. Or maybe your healing and the person's recovery were just coincidental-they just happened to occur at the same time. Or perhaps the person's angels and guides stepped in and performed the healing, and your magic had nothing to do with the person's recovery.

That kind of self-doubt most assuredly will drive you crazy and interfere with your ability to effectively practice magic. When it comes to practicing any kind of magic, here's one rule that will help you keep self-doubt out of the picture:

Never allow your magic to be tested.

People who don't believe in magic will commonly challenge magic practitioners to "prove" their magic by passing certain tests. This does nothing but introduce self-doubt into your practice. This rule applies to you as well. Don't try to "test" your own magical abilities or trying to figure out if you really healed someone.

The best position to take when it comes to magical healing is realize that you doing magic for your benefit and for the benefit of others, should they choose to make use of it. According to master dowser Harold McCoy, who has assisted in many miraculous healings, we are not and cannot be the sole instruments of remote healing. Healing is usually a combined effort between healer, client, and higher beings. If any part of this equation is missing, such as when the client refuses healing energy, healing will not occur. At the same time, when healing does occur, no single party in the equation is responsible. Instead, it's a group effort.

As Harold himself puts it, "I just do these things and the person gets better. I don't know that there is any connection, or what that may be, but it doesn't matter!" This is a failsafe position for magical healing. You know there is a connection between your magical act and the healing, but you don't have to know the exact nature of the connection. This lets you off the hook when it comes to self-doubt.

Need More Magical Healing Help?
Check out Harold's seven principles for magical healing work:

1. Never turn anyone down.
2. Be always 100% committed.
3. Always get permission.
4. Always invoke your guides and angels.
5. Don't charge, but accept donations.
6. There are no failures.
7. We don't diagnose nor cure.

What else would help you in your magical healing work?

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As Cold as a Witch's Tit -- Really Cold or Just a Myth?

Being involved in the practice of magic and shamanism, I'm always interested in the origin of symbols, rituals, words, and phrases. For instance, did you know that until Eliphas Levi came along, the word 'magick' was always spelled without the letter 'k'? Levi added the extra 'k' to differentiate religious and ceremonial magick from stage magic. Now it's spelled either way.

Another phrase that has always interested me is this one: "Cold as a witch's tit."

I've always wondered, are they really cold? Not as far as I can tell.

But in the interests of fun and humor, I checked it out. This link has an explanation that makes sense.

According to this source:

"Since a witch is in league with Satan, presumably she has no maternal feelings. Thus the medium by which she would suckle a child is, well, cold as a witch's tit."

More explanation follows on that website. Here's a link to some humor about witch's tits, too.

Enjoy the fun in magic!

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Photo credit: Witches

Henbane Flower Essence: The Witch's Flower Essence

Supposedly part of the witch's 'flying broom' potion, henbane has long been part of the magical practitioner's apothecary. The plant itself is quite poisonous, containing scopolamine, atropine, and hyoscyamine, and is in the same family as other magical plants like deadly nightshade, mandrake, and datura. Many practitioners avoid henbane because of its deadly properties, but it can be a most useful plant when prepared and used correctly.

While the plant itself requires great caution for use, the flower essence made from henbane is an excellent tonic for shamans, witches, and other magical practitioners. The flower essence can be used without fear of poisoning, and is particularly good for vision quests and practitioners involved in exploring death. This can refer to physical death, or a more spiritual death, such as the death of personality or the ego. For those undergoing extreme life transitions, henbane can be supportive in helping avoid frustration and anger. It has a more extreme effect than other "transition" flower essences like Walnut or Bottlebrush.

Henbane is particularly useful for shamans investigating the half worlds through scrying, the black mirror, and other spiritual "windows." Henbane flower essence also helps those who want to connect with the spirits of the dead.

To learn more about flower essences, aromatherapy, and other healing techniques, check out our Energy Healing for Self and Others Ebook.

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Photo credit: Henbane

Do It Yourself Magic

Need someone to wave a magic wand in your life? No magicians, witches, wizards, or Wiccans around when you need them? Harry Potter too busy?

No problem. Do it yourself (magic, that is!) in our upcoming Basic Magic Teleclass. Learn to cut, make, and use your own Wand in the upcoming Basic Magic teleclass. This 32-week comprehensive class will take you through all the skills needed to become a certified magical practitioner.

In Basic Magic you will learn to:
- Handle the elements Air, Fire, Water and Earth with your bare hands
- Heal yourself and others with basic magical techniques
- Scry and use divination to uncover and discover information
- Use magical tools like the Wand, Athame, Chalice, and Plate
- Do magical cleansings, blessings, and banishments
- Throw and interpret Tarot readings
- Create your own spells, simple and complex

What can you do with Basic Magic?
- Gain control of your life by using Universal laws
- Address life problems are chronic or repetitive
- Develop and use your personal power
- Get help from magical beings, including angels, animal spirits, and more

Want to know more? Get the scoop about Basic Magic, including a short class syllabus, by clicking the link below. We are now accepting a limited number of students for the class starting April 29.

Basic Magic Teleclass

Questions?
Feel free to email us at info@shamanschool.com or call us at
1-888-446-2442.

Photo credit: The Wizard

Debunking 3 Myths About Real Magic

Debunking 3 Myths About Real Magic

Harry Potter and "Charmed" are great introductions to magic, but they do often mislead the general public about magic. Hopefully this article will demystify five of the common myths about magic created by popular media.

1. There Are No Muggles
Magic is the birth right of every single person on this planet. You don't have to be "born" into a magical lineage, a witchy heritage, or a wizarding family. Everyone can learn magic. Magic is both an art and a science, with real rules, logic, and reasoning. Magic can be learned just as any science can be learned. You can start right now with cloud magic, the library of articles on our website, or (for those who really want to dive into the deep end) our 32-week Basic Magic teleclass.

So go ahead, learn magic. There are no muggles, only people who don't yet know how to do magic!

2. The "Personal Gain" Thing and Magic
The whole myth that you can't do magic for personal is bogus. If you can't use magic as a recourse in a life that is admittedly unfair at times, what is it for? Magic should be used to improve your life. Many practitioners have used magic to attract money, recognition, and other life conditions, all without backlash. Can you use magic to win the lottery? You can try, but it probably won't work. Why not? Because the stream of resistance against it from society is too strong. Most people buy lottery tickets "expecting" not to win. This is a topic for a whole other article, but know that Rules of the Road, the universal laws that govern magical practice, do not prohibit the use of magic for personal gain. So ahead, gain!

3. Magic Should Be Given Away for Free
We get the occasional snide email from someone who thinks that magic should be given away for free. "You claim that magic is the birth right of every planetary citizen," they say. "Why don't you give it away then?"

Good question. Let's clarify this issue about birth right. We have the right to many things on this planet, including knowledge of all kinds (magical and mundane), love, consciousness, joy, and faith. But just because we have a right to it does not mean that we come into this world owning it. Having a right to something simply means that we have the option to "get" it if we choose, but it is up to us to "get" what we want.

For instance, every single person on this planet has the right to be a rocket scientist, should they so choose. Does that mean that MIT or Princeton should give away their knowledge about rocket science at no cost? No. Can you learn a lot about rocket science by going to the library and "getting" the knowledge at no charge. Yes. But how many people will actually do that?

The same is true for magic. We give away a lot of knowledge about magic, but the one thing we cannot give away is the desire to learn and work at magic. Magic allows you to do some amazing things that you could not otherwise do, but it's still an art and a science. It still requires effort to produce the results you want. A major spell to bring money to your mailbox can take several weeks to set up and launch. Is it worth it? Absolutely. It would take months of slaving away at a regular job to earn that kind of money. So magic can help you do what you can't achieve in ordinary life, but it is still work. And the knowledge is valuable. When you pay to learn magic, you are not paying someone else for the knowledge. Instead, you are paying for the privilege of owning the knowledge. Magicians don't charge for magic because they need to earn a living. There is a charge because people do not value what they do not pay for.

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Photo credit: Terri at 9 3/4

How to Begin Studying Magic

How to Begin Studying Magic

The art and study of magic is a vast study that can take years, and I get many questions about how people should go about studying this topic. It can be daunting and I understand why people ask this question. In my observation and experience, the best place to begin studying is with the four elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth.

Because everything in the Universe is composed of the four elements, this study is literally part of everything else you will study in magic. Thus, to start at the beginning, start with the element Air. Air is a safe element to start studying because you can do very little to yourself or others with air. The most you may do is make yourself "spacy" or silly for a while, but Air dissipates quickly so you'll soon recover. For instance, we often start beginner magical practitioners with cloud-moving and weather work. Clouds, being of the Air element, are easy to move with intention and not likely to get anyone in trouble.

Learning how to handle the Air element also helps you develop the skills you will need to handle the more advanced elements of Fire, Water, and Earth. Here is a brief summary of what each of the elements corresponds to:

AIR
Seeing, breathing, speaking, hearing, planning, thinking, believing, memorizing, communicating, learning, teaching, information, ideas, wisdom, understanding, worry, sensation, awareness, opinions, data, memory, mind.

FIRE
Energy, power, will, desire, anger, pain, motivation, radiance, passion, initiative, aggression, limitation, endeavor, activity, creative, willingness, urge, inspired, excitable, courage, bravado, compulsion, fanaticism, frustration, resentment, rage, freedom.

WATER
Emotions, feelings, intuition, compassion, empathy, sympathy, knowing, devotion, quest, aspiration, intention, appreciation, integrity, harmony, beauty, balance, serenity, fluidity, grief, apathy, joy, love.

EARTH
Strength, money, foundation, endurance, structure, mundane world, serenity of beingness, solidity, boundaries, permanence, land, commerce, products, confidence, loyalty, persistence, stubbornness, fortress, security, anchor, barter, substance, body, base, possessions.

At first, you will want to learn to handle each of these elements with your bare hands, in what we call direct handling. For instance, if you wanted to handle the Air element directly, you could increase or decrease the balance of Air in your body. The simplest way to do that would be to wear white clothing. White is one of the Air element colors, and tends to increase your mental capacity. Other ways of handling Air include pulling in white energy through your hands or "breathing" in white energy.

Once you have become proficient at handling the four elements directly you can move on to using magical tools. Since magical tools, such as the wand, athame, chalice and plate, are extensions of the basic four elements and your own energies, they should be studied and handled only after you develop a working knowledge and understanding of the four elements themselves. The same is true of the more advanced topics of divination, tarot and spellwork, which are directly related to your understanding of the elements.

Photo credit: More old books

What is Magic, Really?

Confused About Magic?

With Harry Potter, the Halliwell sisters on Charmed, Race to Witch Mountain, and all the other books and movies out there about magic, people can get very confused about magic. People ask us all the time, "What is magic, really?"

Good question. And we have an answer. So here goes ...

Magic is a precision science! It is also:

• The science of deliberate creation.
• The science of effective prayer.
• The science of manifesting Higher Will (God's Will) on the energetic and material planes.
• The science of heightened awareness, selective perception, and dynamic, harmonious relationships.
• The study of intention (as per Aleister Crowley, one of the greatest magicians).
• The system of creation, not coercion.

Note: The word manipulation is often used in conjunction with magic, but manipulation simply means the use of the hands. It should be an "OK" word without a lot of charge, but currently it is used mostly to mean coercion. Look it up!

Every intentional act is a magical act! Magic gives us the ability to communicate with beings on all levels, and allows us to understand, through direct experience, the actual workings of the Universe.

Magic is the traditional path of spiritual growth.
Magic is not extraordinary knowledge. It is the "normal" way of life. We've just lost access to it. When you have this kind of knowledge in your understanding, you have the ability to resolve spiritual questions that otherwise become catechism. From a magician's point of view, catechism is not acceptable, since a magician must experience and verify everything for him or herself. It avoids the trap of dogma. In past time, having a magical foundation was essential so that we could go and talk directly to God, the devil, etc.

Magic is necessary to effective religious practice,
In religious practice, a priest is qualified to perform rituals, but not to create them. Only the magician has the ability to create because he has the tools of divination to test the rituals he creates.

How Do You Spell Magic?
There is some confusion as to how to spell the word "magic." There are three different commonly used spellings: magic, magick and majick. Eliphas Levi first used the form "magick" to differentiate religious or ceremonial magick from stage magic.

Does this make sense? Have more questions? Here are a couple more resources so you can delve deeper:

How to Study Magic

Basic Magic Course (starting soon)


Photo credit: Dreaming Like a Fairy

Ask Alan – Need Help With Visualization

Dear Alan,

I have been studying various magical and shamanic methods of creative visualization (including NLP, Silva Mind Control, Tom Brown, Jr. among others) and I just can't seem to "see" visualizations clearly using any of these techniques. I would really like to be able to harness my psychic powers through creative visualization. Can you suggest anything that would help?

-- Visualization Impaired, Belton, TX

Dear Visualization Impaired,

I understand how frustrating it must be to not be able to "see" the visualization you desire in your mind's eye. However, I'm not surprised that you can't. Actually, many people have difficulty seeing creative visualizations because many people are not dominantly visual. If your dominant sense isn't visual, you won't be able to "see" a visualization. However, that doesn't mean you can "hear" or "sense" or "feel" creatively and psychically.

Seeing something in your mind's eye is only one of your many Spirit perceptics, or abilities. Your Spirit can also sense in many other ways, including hearing, sensing, smelling, or feeling emotions. If you have difficulty seeing a visualization try instead to feel or hear a scenario in your imagination. I liken this kind of exercise to the state of reverie or daydreaming.

Active Daydreaming as Visualization
With whatever sense is strongest for you (hearing, touching, emotions), daydream about what you want to occur. Just imagine that you are in the scenario. Some people actually get up and move around instead of sitting still for their visualizations. They "act out" the visualization so that it has more power and force.

For instance, suppose you have trouble "visualizing" a check coming to you in the mail. It might help to actually walk down to your mail box and "act as if" you were getting a check out of the mailbox. Actually open the mailbox, stick your hand in, and act as if you were pulling out a check. Feel the excitement of opening the envelope and seeing a check with a big dollar figure written on it. Play out the whole scenario and see what happens. You'll be surprised. This form of active visualization works for many people.

Using the Auditory Sense
If that doesn't work for you, you can always try listening for voices in your mind. Some people have good experiences with hearing a pre-planned script in their head, a script of something they want to happen. Suppose you want a promotion. Simply rehearse script in your mind and play it over and over. You might script a conversation where you accidentally overhear two people discussing your promotion. Whatever the script, be sure to write something that is convincing to you.

As you can tell, there are lots of different ways to do creative imagination, even if you can't see anything in your mind's eye. Try a variety of different techniques until you find one that matches your dominant Spirit ability. Then use that method frequently to help you manifest the desired results in your life.

Deeper Psychic Development
You can further develop and harness your psychic abilities by learning the techniques in our ebooks and email courses:

Daily Rituals for Attracting What You Want in Life Ebook

Everyday Magic Email Course


Photo credit: Dream Catch Me (8/365)

Why Spells Work for the Halliwell Witches on "Charmed"

This is admittedly a somewhat silly post but you would be surprised how many emails we get from people asking why spells work for some people (even TV characters like the Halliwell witches on "Charmed") and don't work for other people.

On the show "Charmed" supposedly the reason spells work for the Halliwell sisters is because the sisters are prophesied to be charmed and are part of the powerful Halliwell line. Spells work for witches but not for ordinary people-at least according to the show.

That is true on television, but doesn't apply in the real world. First of all, in the real world there isn't a dividing line between witches and ordinary people. Anyone who wants to can practice magic and, as with everything else, practice makes perfect. But there is a dividing line between someone for whom a spell will work and someone for whom the spell will not.

That dividing line is called the level of being.

A person with a very high level of being casting a spell would get a positive and quick response. A person with a very low level of being casting the very same spell would get little or no results, or possibly even some backlash. The higher the person's level of being the easier it is for that person to get good results with spellwork.

So what is your level of being? Unfortunately there isn't a specific yardstick out there that you can use to measure your level of being, but here are some factors that tend to increase and decrease your level of being.

Factors that increase your level of being:
- belief in a friendly universe
- positive outlook on life and predominantly positive emotions
- trust in higher powers and beings
- relationship with higher powers and beings (angels, totems, etc.)
- a sense of patience and acceptance
- use and practice of magical skills
-a spiritual practice

Factors that decrease your level of being:
- negative emotions including doubt, fear, anger, and guilt
- a feeling that you are alone in the world
- lack of spiritual practice or belief in spiritual forces
- distrust of higher powers and beings
- impatience and frustration with life
- the perspective that life is poor and will never get better
- lack of a magical practice

These two lists could go on endlessly but you get the picture. Those who are able to cast a spell and then "let it go" have a much higher level of being. A higher level of being, characterized by trust and acceptance, gives a spell room to work without interference. If you have a low level of being, your tendency will be to cast a spell and then immediately begin doubting its effect. You may feel frustrated that the spell isn't working fast enough. In doing so you will be interfering with the way your spell works because doubt and frustration just add to the resistance your spell has to overcome before it can create an effect.

So the level of your being has a lot to do with how well spells work for you. People with a very high level of being, like Sai Baba for instance, don't even need spells to do magic. Sai Baba was able to manifest sacred ash from the palms of his hands and scatter the ash among his followers. He was witnessed doing this by thousands and thousands of people.

But if you're not to Sai Baba's level yet (and very few people are), one way to increase the effectiveness of your spellwork is to increase the level of your being. It is not as hard as you might think. Simply adding a 15 minute meditation to your daily regimen can raise your level of being immensely. So can making the decision to stop doubt for 10 minutes each day. Take a small step to raise the level of your being on a daily basis and you'll be surprised how much better magic spells work for you.